Capsule Reviews Of `Kung Fu Panda' And Other Films
Capsule reviews of films opening this week:
"Kung Fu Panda" _ The adaptation of such a delicate creature as the giant panda to a habitat like the summer movie season _ a zoo if ever there was one _ is an obvious ploy for family crowds. But "Kung Fu Panda" is surprisingly fun and free of the usual blockbuster bloating, despite its star-packed voice cast. It also has easily the best computer animation of a DreamWorks production yet, far surpassing the look of "Madagascar" or even "Shrek." It's not quite on Pixar's level, but it's close. Our hero, Po, voiced by Jack Black, is an overweight dreamer who has more in common with Black's Nacho Libre than Hsing-Hsing. He puts the giant in giant panda. Despite his lack of talent, the duty of protecting his village is thrust upon Po. But at every turn, the gravity of the kung fu archetype is contrasted with Po's oafishness. He's advised: "Panda, we do not wash our pits in the Sea of Forgotten Tears." He's plucky, but it's not Po's grit that endears us to him; it's his casual good-naturedness. The voice work throughout is good, particularly that by Dustin Hoffman and Ian McShane. Angelina Jolie as Tigress is completely forgettable. As summer movies get bigger and bigger, they often make us, the audience, feel smaller and smaller. The bright "Kung Fu Panda" is a simple and lighthearted exception. PG for sequences of martial arts action. 91 min. Three stars out of four.
_ By Jake Coyle, AP Entertainment Writer
___
"The Promotion" _ Steve Conrad may not have been ready for his own promotion just yet. The writer of "The Weather Man" and "The Pursuit of Happyness," directing here for the first time, has taken a group of solid actors and thrown them together in a flimsy comedy. It's weirdly off-kilter _ the gags are steady and repetitive but the tone is all over the place. The story of two assistant grocery store managers (Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly) competing for the same manager gig at a new Chicago location bounces awkwardly from light and jaunty to dryly deadpan and back again. As a result, "The Promotion" feels much longer than its brief running time and it often makes you so uncomfortable that you'll anxiously wish for it to end. There are a couple of funny ideas and lines here, and the casting of Reilly is intriguing as a formidable foe, since he's made his name playing the put-upon schmo. But Conrad, who also wrote the script, can't decide whether he wants us to like these guys or root against them. Jenna Fischer of "The Office" _ which "The Promotion" strives to emulate _ is squandered as the sweetly supportive wife of Scott's character, who's thoroughly mediocre but thinks he's "the leading shoo-in" for the job. Fred Armisen of "Saturday Night Live," Jason Bateman and Bobby Cannavale have all seen better days. Lili Taylor fares worst of all as Reilly's wife, a role that requires her to speak in a disastrous Scottish accent. R for language including sexual references, and some drug use. 87 min. One and a half stars out of four.
_ Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic
___
"You Don't Mess With the Zohan" _ For all its perceived shock value, all the concern that a comedy about conflict in the Middle East would offend just about everyone imaginable, "Zohan" is really rather conventional and familiar. At its core, it's just "Romeo and Juliet," wrapped in Adam Sandler's trademark raunchy humor. Sandler stars as the titular character, an Israeli commando who fakes his own death to escape to the United States and pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a hairdresser. He's a superhuman trained killer but all he wants to do is make people "silky smooth," one of many jokes that get repeated ad nauseam in Dennis Dugan's overlong movie. While in New York, he wows his older female customers with his sexual prowess (and the haircuts he copies from his 1987 Paul Mitchell book), but he also finds he's fallen for his boss, Dalia (Emmanuelle Chriqui),a salon owner who happens to be Palestinian. He also must elude a group of Arabs, led by cab driver Salim (old "SNL" buddy Rob Schneider), who want to report Zohan's existence to the Palestinian terrorist (John Turturro) who thought he'd killed him. Sandler co-wrote the script with longtime friends and comedy titans Robert Smigel and Judd Apatow, so it features smarter and more grown-up laughs than you would expect from a typical Happy Madison Production. With its messages of acceptance and reconciliation, the film's heart is certainly in the right place. And with cameos from Mariah Carey, Charlotte Rae, George Takei, Dave Matthews and John McEnroe, it's got to feature the most random cross-section of humanity since "Zoolander." Mostly, though, it's just plain silly. PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, language and nudity. 113 min. Two stars out of four.
_ Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic